Scientific Name : Mentzelia lagarosa
Author : (K.H. Thorne) J.J. Schenk & L. Hufford
NatureServe Explorer
Common Name : Slender- lobed Blazingstar
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Taxonomy
Loasaceae (blazingstar family)
This taxon is listed by Ackerfield (2015, 2022) as Mentzelia lagarosa and Mentzelia pumila var. lagarosa by Kartesz (1994) and Weber and Wittmann (2001).
Ranks and Status
State Rank : S2
State Rank Reason : Mentzelia lagarosa is known from ten occurrences in four western Colorado counties. Five of the occurrences are historical. May be more widespread and/or common than currently reported, but field reports are needed. Threats are unknown.
U.S. Endangered Species Act : none
Colorado Threatened and Endangered List : none
Other Statuses : none
Description and Phenology
General Description:
Plants biennial, candelabra-form. Stems solitary, erect, straight; branches distal, distal longest, antrorse, straight; hairy. Leaves: blade 11.3â103 Ã 4.8â20.1 mm, widest intersinus distance 1.2â5.7 mm; proximal oblanceolate to elliptic, margins pinnate to pinnatisect, lobes 8â20, slightly antrorse or perpendicular to leaf axis, 1.4â8.2 mm; distal elliptic to lanceolate, base not clasping, margins pinnatisect, lobes 6â16, slightly antrorse or perpendicular to leaf axis, 1.6â7.5 mm; abaxial surface with simple grappling-hook, complex grappling-hook, and occasionally needlelike trichomes, adaxial surface with simple grappling-hook and needlelike trichomes. Bracts: margins usually entire, sometimes toothed or pinnate. Flowers: petals golden yellow, 8.3â13 Ã 2.2â5.4 mm, apex acute or rounded, glabrous abaxially; stamens golden yellow, 5 outermost petaloid, filaments narrowly spatulate, slightly clawed, 6.5â10.7 Ã 1.7â4.3 mm, without anthers, second whorl with anthers; anthers straight after dehiscence, epidermis smooth; styles 6.1â10.2 mm. Capsules cylindric, 12.1â21.2 Ã 4.9â7.6 mm, base tapering or rounded, not longitudinally ridged. Seeds: coat anticlinal cell walls wavy (Flora of North America 1993+).
Look Alikes:
Similar in appearance to other taxa in this genus. Specific look-alikes have not been determined.
Phenology:
June-August, occasionally extending into October (Scheck and Hufford 2020).
Habitat
Dry, barren hillsides with clay or shale substrates. Associated taxa include Pinyon, Juniper, Sagebrush, Rabbit brush, and Oak.
Elevation Range:
5,000 - 7,000 feet (1,524 - 2,134 meters)
Distribution
Colorado Endemic:
No
Range:
Mentzelia lagarosa is known from Dolores, Garfield, Montrose, and San Miguel counties in Colorado, USA. Estimated range extent in Colorado of 17,645 square kilometers was calculated in GeoCAT using occurrence data provided by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program (2023). This species is also known from Utah and Nevada, USA.
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Threats and Management Issues
Specific threats in Colorado are not known.
References
- Ackerfield, J. 2015. Flora of Colorado. BRIT Press, Botanical Research Institute of Texas, Fort Worth, TX. 818 pp.
- Colorado Natural Heritage Program (CNHP). 2023. Biodiversity Tracking and Conservation System (Biotics 5). Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, Fort Collins.
- Flora of North America Editorial Committee, ed. (FNA). 1993+. Flora of North America North of Mexico. Oxford Univ. Press, New York, Oxford.
- Kartesz, J.T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland. 2nd edition. 2 vols. Timber Press, Portland, OR.
- Schenk, J. 2012. Personal communication with NatureServe staff regarding Mentzelia lagarosa.
- Schenk, J. J., and L. Hufford. 2010. Taxonomic novelties from western North America in Mentzelia section Bartonia (Loasaceae). Madroño 57(4): 246-260.
- Schenk, J.J. and L. Hufford. 2020. A Phylogenetic Monograph of Mentzelia Section Bartonia (Loasaceae). Systematic Botany Monographs 110:1-239.
- Weber, W.A. and R.C. Wittmann. 2001. Colorado Flora: Western Slope, Third Edition. University Press of Colorado, Niwot, CO.
